it sounds so mean, so mean
but we're using
a broken sound
to break down
this culture machine
when I woke up it was 1970
but baby, baby my lids were so heavy
oh baby please you've got to stop this freeze
you've got to change this change this weather
make everything better
it was 1848 when I cleaned the slate
it was 1915 when I caught my stream
it was 1957 when I split heaven
it was 1964 what a fucking bore
it was 1968 when we fought the state
oh baby, I've had so many dreams
it was 2003 which really, really, really made me
you've got to change this change this weather
stand up get, get, get down
I'm getting down

General CommentI emailed Tim Glowik who was the singer from Wolves and asked him what the references were, this is what he said

Ha! I'll try and remember all the references. Most come from avant-garde movements, social or politcal movements, or revolutions.

1848 is about the revolutions in Germany, Italy, and Hungary during that time. It's interesting because it was largely pushed forward by a combination of students, workers, and revolutionaries. This is one of the first times that all of these groups could agree that the poverty of life was worth rebelling against. It also highlights the change in day to day life for everyone. The movement away from people feeling that they had no control over their life was complete when they took up arms. I think, but I'm not sure I'm right in thinking that the avant-garde movement also turned at this point. It became politicized with the fauvist movement. Oh wait, that's totally wrong. I think it was the beginning of the barbizon school which eventually led to impressionism and cubism.

1915 was when duchamp, picabia,and man ray met up. It was also possibly when tzara started his performances. Essentially it's the beginning of the dada movement. A kind of universal gathering of people who were were absolutely against culture.

1957 is pretty simple. it's the formation of the situationist international from the lettrist international and the international movement for an imaginist bauhaus. Also the time when they were less about being pricks to everyone and more about trying to change the world through theory and revolution.

1964 is a little tougher. I don't remember this one. It could have been the split between the 1st international and the 2nd that happened around this time. Or I think surrealisms failure as a revolutionary movement may have come to a head during this time. Also it may be when debord wrote the first edition of society of the spectacle. it wasn't published until 1967, but I'm pretty sure he wrote it much earlier.

1968 is the paris uprising. Everyone felt this.

1970 is when the weather underground started bombing police stations in response to american culture and the war.

oh man, I'm an absolute idiot. I forgot that 1848 was also when the communist manifesto was published. It was another instance of most of the world feeling the poverty of culture and rebelling against it.